The Telegraph wins this weeks Bash Nurses award

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/27/nurse327.xml

Harriet Yeo's 83-year-old mother, Barbara, died in hospital in 2005 after doctors had placed a "do not resuscitate" notice in her medical notes without consulting her family about the decision.

Barbara Yeo-who had been trained as a nurse after the Second World War-had initially been admitted to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent suffering from constipation, but she later developed the winter vomiting bug Novo virus.

After Mrs Yeo's condition deteriorated, she was put on morphine. Miss Yeo, 44, of Ashford, Kent, said that doctors had then taken the decision to put a "do not resuscitate" notice on her mother, without consulting the family.

What I really don't understand about this article is that if the MD was at fault, why are they bashing nurses in it?

What is worse is every time newspapers print utter crap about nurses the vitriol from the public seems to get louder and nastier, as found in the readers comments section;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=BLOGDETAIL&grid=F11&blog=yourview&xml=/news/2007/10/27/view27.xml

I'm just wondering what on earth can be done about nursings image in the UK if the newspapers continue to publish idiotic and unresearched articles that the public just lap up?

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Think this is in retaliation to senior nurses and resus status in the news, what she (the daughter) doesn't realise normal for doctors to make this type of decision and also nurses will probably have more involvement with the family on making these sorts of decisions

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

It's taken me 3 attempts to actually respond with my thoughts to this. The comments from the readers in the telegraph (doctor's Nurses and non medics) really took me by surprise. The venom and discontent with the service provided by nurses and lack of knowledge about the training and professionalism that nurses can have I found distressing.

It took me a few reads and much reflection.

I have to hold my hands up that maybe I am one of those nurses that have caused the lack of trust and respect for our profession as I am one of those nurses that left ward work to do a role that could be considered a "mini doctor" role as a nurse practitioner.

I found myself justifying why I left ward nursing and took that decision, increase patient workload, more paperwork handing over basic patient care to non qualified staff. I felt that I could do more for my patients in a different role, is that a right move I am not sure, there seems to be such little confidence in nursing at the moment maybe roles such as mine, along with the expereince and skill we have back to the wards to help improve patient care, increase the nurses numbers on the wards and put the experience of senior nurses back at the patient bedside. I am undecided.

It also got me thinking about would I really want to make a resuscitation decision and as I mentioned with the thread about the article I am not sure if I would be prepared to take the responsibility of that decision and I am really not sure.

Just some of my thoughts anyway

[nightmare, RN]

I work in a Nursing Home,17 years ago,when I first started all residents were considered DNR.Now the rules have changed but we still do not have the equipment to resuscitate. It will take approx.20 minutes for an ambulance to reach us.Could you do basic CPR for 20 minutes? I know I couldn't!Can you imagine the damage CPR will do to a frail, osteoporotic 90 year old? Then when they are taken to hospital there will be questions about why they are so battered and bruised with broken ribs etc and yet more bad publicity for Nursing Homes.We are damned if we do and damned if we don't!